


Down on Her Luck

by yankeetooter



Category: Actor RPF
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2020-08-10 05:50:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20130364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yankeetooter/pseuds/yankeetooter
Summary: I have a string of really bad luck...and then he comes along.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is something different from what I usually write. No disrespect is meant to Stellan or his lovely wife and family.

It was like some nightmare that kept getting worse. I was out of luck and out of money. I had no place to stay, not a friend in the world, and about $5.00 American money left in my pocket after I paid for the cup of tea and slices of toast in front of me (the cheapest thing on the menu, and an excuse to sit in the warm cafe for a while.) Sweden winters were a lot colder than Mid-Atlantic ones.

It had started when I arrived in Sweden. I had walked the short distance to my acquaintance's place, only to find they had ditched me and gone on holiday. The roommate had been unsympathetic to my plight, pleading ignorance to any arrangement I had made to stay there. By then it was nine 'o clock, and getting very cold. In my efforts to stay warm while I walked the streets looking for a place to stay, I had failed to notice the two men following me from a distance.

I suppose I'm lucky I wasn't hurt worse than I was, or molested. As it was, I ended up with a couple of bruised ribs, a sprained ankle, and a lot less money than I had arrived with. If I hadn't had a bit of money stashed away in my shoe, I wouldn't even have had enough for tea and toast the next morning. I managed to find a somewhat sheltered doorway off the street where I spent the night shivering and jumping at every little sound, convinced my assailants had returned to do worse things to me.

____________

Stellan sat at the cafe counter lost in thought. He was in his home town for the holidays, but his family was in L.A. His sons were working on films, which he could understand. His wife, however, had declined to come home for Christmas, even though they had always migrated to the cabin for the holidays. Of course, it looked like she wouldn't be coming home any other Christmases either...

He forced himself to think of something else, anything else. Too much pain lay in those memories, and he needed time to think. A quiet winter in his isolated cabin was just what he needed.

His eyes fell on a woman sitting in a booth across the small cafe. Having worked with people from all over the world, he had become very adept at reading them. This one...there was something very wrong here. Everything about her demeanor screamed defeat, surrender. And another very odd thing. She was scarfing down a few pieces of toast like she hadn't eaten in several days...so why didn't she order more food? The cafe had a wide variety of items that they offered for breakfast, so why just order toast? 

Maybe he just wanted a distraction, or maybe it was his curiosity about her puzzling behavior, but the next moment Stellan found himself getting up and walking over to her booth.

___________________

"Is that all you're having when this place has such great food?"

I looked up at the man who had approached my booth, and my jaw dropped. "You're... you're...Stellan..."

Stellan winked and put a finger to his lips. "Shh! Don't tell everyone!", he laughed. I could only gape in shock.

"May I?" Stellan asked, indicating the seat across from me in the booth. All I could do was nod mutely.

____________________

Stellan took a closer look at the woman. She looked to be in her late 40's and was of medium build. His first impression of her was confirmed; although she still looked at him in awe, there was a sense of hurting under the surface, and exhaustion as well. His caring nature automatically kicked into gear. He was determined to learn her story.

Sticking out his hand, he said, "Well, obviously you know my name. Will you share yours?"

Shyly, I reached out and put my hand in his two large ones. "I'm Nancy." He squeezed my hand warmly before releasing it.

The waitress approached. "What can I get you two?" Stellan deferred to me, but I indicated I was fine, which seemed to draw his scrutiny. I was starving of course, but how was I supposed to admit I had so little money?

"Well, I'll have the deluxe breakfast platter!" Stellan declared.

_She's obviously very hungry. Maybe I can persuade her to have some of my food?_

And it suddenly hit Stellan like a brick. Maybe she doesn't have enough money? And it suddenly all made sense. The order of toast, the sense of desperation she had about her...

Stellan tried to get Nancy to open up while he waited for his order. He found out she was supposed to be visiting an acquaintance in Sweden, but things hadn't worked out. She was still trying to figure out where to stay but the local hotels had filled up for the holidays. 

(What she didn't tell Stellan was that she had gone to each hotel looking for a job, preferably one that came with a room, however small, but extra holiday help had already been hired some time back so she was out of luck.)

"Well, I have a good friend who runs a hotel down the road a bit. After breakfast, we'll go look him up and see if we can't find you something."

I nodded, but couldn't help thinking that I wouldn't be able to pay for a room even if Stellan could get me one.

"So you've never been in Sweden during the winter season at all?". Stellan asked.

I laughed. "I've never been out of the U.S. before!"

Stellan answered my laugh with one of his own. "Still, things shut down pretty quick around here once winter really sets in. And you ought to get a warmer coat!"

I grimaced at the thought of spending more money that I didn't have. "Well, I'll just stay in, I guess. I brought a couple of books to read. Besides, I thought the heavy snows didn't really get going until January? I was hoping to hike some local trails."

"Yah, you should be okay, but make sure you check the forecast the day you are going out." I nodded.

At that moment the food arrived, a huge platter with eggs, bacon, sausage, scrapple, pancakes, and a few other items that must have been Swedish because I sure had never seen them before. Also, hash browns, more toast and danishes.

Stellan's eyes grew big. "Oh no!", he laughed. "I forgot how much food was on the breakfast platter. Nancy, you'll have to help me with all this!"

At first I demurred shyly, but there's no denying Stellan Skarsgard anything when those blue eyes twinkle at you and he smiles that winning smile of his. So I gingerly helped myself to some eggs and a slice or two of bacon.

"Are you trying to make me fat? I've already finished filming my Baron Harkonnen role for Dune, so I definitely do not need any more weight on me! Have some more!" And Stellan proceeded to shovel more food on my plate to the point that I wasn't sure I could eat it all, even as hungry as I was.

We both ate until we were stuffed, at which point Stellan asked the waitress to box and bag the food up for me. At my confused look, he said, "I never take leftovers home. I like to cook too much!" I agreed at his cheerful insistence. _Well, at least I'd have enough to eat for the rest of the day, and probably the better part of tomorrow as well._

"Good!" Stellan motioned for our checks. "We'll go find you a room, and then I've got to go to Stockholm for a day or so. When I get back, I'll come by and see how you're doing. If the weather's nice, there's some spectacular trails up near my cabin that I'll show you."

"Wow! Okay!" Stellan was offering to take me hiking? The checks came, but before I could blink, Stellan snatched up mine along with his. 

"What?!" he challenged. I could only smile and shake my head. 

"Thanks!" I managed shyly. He waved my thanks off graciously. "Come, let's go see my friend about a room."


	2. Being Spoiled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stellan arranges a place for me to stay for a few days.

Stellan walked with me a few blocks into the center of town. If he noticed that I was limping, he didn't let on, but at some point he turned around and noticed that I wasn't keeping up, and from then on he slowed his pace considerably. I think he must have picked up on something, though, as when we reached a high step he reached out and took my arm, playing the part of the gallant, but actually helping me climb up.

Finally we reached a rather nice hotel. Even before I had been mugged, I wouldn't have been able to afford this place. What was I going to do? Should I tell Stellan now, before he went to the effort of trying to find me a room? I knew I couldn't, though. It might sound stupid, but I felt like if I told him it would sound like I was asking for charity, and somehow my pride would not allow me to do that. No, I would wait until he left, then approach the owner and explain my situation, in that I couldn't pay, and then politely decline the room. And ask him not to mention it to Stellan, although that might be tricky if they were friends.

When we got there, my head was spinning from all the Christmas decorations around the place. I was also really starting to hurt from the walk, and so I was plenty happy when Stellan left me to examine my surroundings while he went up to the desk and asked for the owner.

"Jan! How are you?" The two men embraced. 

"I'm doing great, but of course it's crazy around here during the holidays!"

"Well, I wanted to ask you if by any chance you had any rooms available."

"Stellan! Are you not staying at your cabin as usual? I mean, I do have a few rooms, but actually only through the day after tomorrow, the 23rd. Then I'm fully booked up."

"Well, that might do, but it's not for me. See the young lady over there?" Stellan pointed me out across the lobby. "She needs a place to stay, at least for tonight and tomorrow night. Here's the thing though. I'm paying, but if it's alright, could you go along with the story that you're just letting her use the room as a favor to me? I worry she wouldn't accept my paying, and I suspect she doesn't have the money."

"That would be fine. I have a large suite, a rather small room, and then a medium room. Which one would you like?"

"Let's go with the medium size one. I want her to have a nice room, but she would be overwhelmed with the large suite. Also, I want to pay for her meals upfront, whatever you feel will cover a good meal. Oh, and include the tip too. I don't want her to worry about paying for anything."

"Okay, Stellan, but I could comp the meals..."

"No, no, Jan, I would never ask you to do that. Now, let's settle up and I'll bring her over here."

________________________________________________________

"Jan, this is my friend, Nancy! Nancy, this is my friend Jan, the owner of this fine establishment! Nancy, Jan has graciously offered to let you stay in a room as a favor to me, no charge! Only until the 23rd, but I'll be back in town by then and we'll figure something else out."

I gaped at Stellan and Jan. For free? "Thank you, thank you!" I stammered. 

"Nonsense!", Jan said, "Any friend of Stellan's is a friend of mine! I'll call the bellhop!"

"Nah! Your people are super busy!" Stellan said. "Give me the keys and I'll help Nancy take her things up."

___________________________________________

We walked up to my room, and I stood in the doorway, amazed at how nice the room was. I felt tears welling up at the kindness of Stellan and his friend. To think I had been wondering where I was going to sleep tonight!

Stellan turned from putting my bags down and caught the glitter of tears in my eyes. He tuned his head and walked over to admire the view, so as to pretend he hadn't noticed. What must this girl have been going through that some simple kindness would move her to tears?

"Stellan..." I managed. "How can I ever thank you for arranging this?"

Giving a boisterous laugh, he gave me a big hug. "It's my pleasure! Besides, thank Jan, it was his doing!"

I nodded, almost overcome again. 

"Now remember, I'll be back in two days. Here's my cell phone number in case you need to call me, but I should easily be back by the time you have to check out."

I took his card and thanked him again. He walked out, shutting the door. Looking around, I decided the first order of business was a long hot bath, followed by a nap. I hadn't slept well in days.

I winced as I stepped into the bath filled with hot water. My various bruises and cuts stung as I submerged myself into the bath, but it was lovely to feel clean again. I had to gingerly get out of the tub afterwards as my ribs hurt so bad.

Wrapping myself up in the blankets cozily, I happily fell asleep in the large comfortable bed. Hours later, I was woken by the phone ringing. "Room service! To take your lunch order?"

"Wait! I'm sorry, but I didn't order room service." I hadn't even given a thought yet as to what I would eat, let alone how I would pay for it. I had just planned on slowly eating the leftovers from Stellan's breakfast.

"Oh, no, miss, it comes with the room! Also, when I bring your lunch, I'll take your dinner order. There's a menu in the nightstand drawer if you would like to see what you might like for dinner."

Stunned, I quickly ordered. A real meal? And dinner too? I began to wonder at the generosity of Stellan's friend, and suspect Stellan of having a hand in it.

_________________________________________________

The two days before Stellan's return went quickly. I slept, read some, and went out and explored the small town during the day when it was fairly warm. The day I was to check out, I hadn't heard from Stellan. I tried to call him, as it was almost time to check out, but there was no answer. By the time I had to pack up and leave my room, I still hadn't heard from him and was getting somewhat worried.

Jan reassured me. "I'm sure his flight back just got delayed or something." I nodded absently. Maybe I would go hiking today, then circle back later and call him. It was overcast, but pretty warm for December. In fact, it was so warm, I didn't even bother checking the forecast. A little rain didn't bother me, and it was definitely too warm for snow.

"Is it okay if I come back and call him later on your phone, Jan? And do you happen to know where the trails are around here?"

"Of course! You can even leave your bags here while you're hiking. The best trails are about a mile or so off the road out of town, towards Stellan's cabin. If he should come back in the meanwhile, I'll tell him you'll call later."

"Thanks, Jan, for everything!"

________________________________________________

Stellan finally got back in town. Bad weather over in Stockholm had got the plane off late. He saw that he had a missed call from Jan's hotel. He hoped Nancy wasn't worried. At least she should be in town, given the forecast. This unusually warm weather was about to come to an abrupt end. There was a cold front headed in, and they were calling for blizzard conditions. The storm wasn't supposed to hit for a few hours yet, but he would need to find Nancy somewhere to stay and then get up to his cabin and prepare.

When Stellan got to the hotel and talked to Jan, he found out that Nancy had gone out hiking, somewhere up the road. He hurriedly left the hotel and drove up to his cabin. He quickly started a fire in the fireplace and banked the fire so that it would keep the cabin warm for hours. Once everything was in order, he bundled up warmly and loaded up a sled with a coil of rope, a two man tent, two sleeping bags, some extra blankets, some matches, a lantern, a flashlight, and some dried food. He hoped it wouldn't come to spending the night out, but he had to find Nancy and wanted to be prepared for the worst. Finally ready, he set out on foot to find Nancy.


	3. The Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I get myself into a dangerous position.

I walked along in the beautiful landscape that was Sweden at Christmas time. No lights adorned these trees, but it was a winter wonderland all the same, although it might have seemed more Christmas-y if it had been a bit colder.

As if the weather had read my mind, a suddenly cold wind blew in from the east as if out of nowhere, a sudden reminder that I was still wearing my inadequate coat. Pulling it closer about me, I nevertheless continued my hike, enjoying the solitude and the fact that I didn't have to worry about strangers following me out here.

When it started snowing about an hour later, I had begun to rethink my wisdom in coming out here on my own. I hadn't even followed Stellan's suggestion that I check the forecast before heading out. I had come quite a ways and thought I should turn around and head back before the weather got any worse.

And it didn't take long for that to happen either. Another 30 minutes of hiking and the snow was coming down fast and hard, completely covering the path. The wind, too, had picked up in speed, and I was feeling the drop in temperature more and more by the minute. Fortunately, the path was clear, so I plodded on, hoping to see the road at any time.

But I had come further than I realized, and the cold was sapping my strength. And now that I was really exerting myself, and breathing harder with my efforts, my bruised ribs were hurting worse and worse. I stopped in the shelter of a large tree, needing to rest. But stopping carried its own peril, and the moment I stopped walking, the cold hit me worse than ever. I needed to keep walking, but I was so tired! And by the time I got moving again, the snow had deepened considerably, there now being about eight inches on the ground, with higher amounts in drifts. Walking became a real struggle, and I regretted taking a trail that had taken me mostly downhill at the onset, as now I was having to fight my way uphill against the wind.

When I reached the two trees growing close to each other, I stopped, defeated. I simply couldn't go on any further in the cold and snow. My breaths came raggedly now, and each time I inhaled, a sharp pain traveled up my side. I knew I shouldn't stop because I would only get colder if I wasn't moving, but this was maybe the best shelter I was going to find, and I wasn't going to be able to walk much further one way or another.

So I sandwiched myself between the two trees as best as I was able, pulled up my hood to cover my face as much as possible, and hunkered down, hoping for a miracle.

\-----------------

Stellan trudged through the woods determinedly. The weather was quickly deteriorating and he was increasingly worried about Nancy. He remembered that she hadn't had a very proper coat on, and even if she had, being out here in this weather was not a good idea. If only his flight hadn't been late in arriving!

As he got further down the trail, his concerns increased. He would feel responsible if something happened to her. He also wasn't sure if they would make it back to the cabin, depending on her condition, so he was glad he had brought the tent and other supplies with him. It wouldn't be great spending the night out here, but they should be okay if necessary.

He had gone maybe another two miles when he spotted a red wool cap between two trees. It was Nancy, huddled down within the natural shelter and thoroughly covered with snow! Kneeling down, he tried to rouse her but she had fallen into a deep sleep and took several minutes to wake up. At that point she started shivering uncontrollably, and Stellan tried to decide what to do.

She was obviously nearing hypothermia. Should he take the time to wrap her up and get her warm? That would take the remaining daylight to accomplish, and in her current state they really shouldn't spend the night out here.

Still agonizing over what to do, Stellan finally reached a decision. He wrapped Nancy in the blankets and strapped her to the sled securely. Then, hoisting the rope around his strong shoulders, he headed back up the way he had come, taking a side trail to more quickly reach his cabin. Every mile or so he stopped to check on Nancy and make sure she was still conscious, all the while the weather getting worse.

\----------------

At some point I came to briefly. Snow was flying in my face, despite my hood which was pulled over my face as much as possible. And I was moving! Half conscious, I wasn't sure how that was happening, although visions of a bear dragging me to its den to slowly feast on me did not seem altogether impossible. Did they have bears in Sweden?

Curiously, I was relatively warm, despite the snow falling all around me. Well, then not a bear. I tried to move, to sit up a bit to look around me, but moving brought all sorts of pain and I quickly stopped trying. At any rate, I seemed to be somehow fastened down to a flat surface, which was puzzling, but reinforced my theory of "not a bear".

My mysterious mode of transport must have heard my feeble attempts at movement because all at once, the movement stopped and someone who was truly as big as a bear was hunkered down in the snow beside me. It wasn't until this bear-man had removed a few scarves that I realized it was Stellan. He had found me!

I tried to talk, but even that hurt. My side seemed to be getting worse, and the frigid air wasn't helping. Stellan removed a glove and gently placed a finger on my lips.

"Hush, don't try to talk! It's too cold out here at any rate. Don't worry, we've only a mile or so to go, and then we'll be safe at my cabin, where you can get warm and dry, and drink hot cocoa..."

The sweet sound of Stellan's voice faded off as I drifted back towards oblivion.

\------------------

The next time I was aware of anything, we had come to a halt, but the snow had stopped falling on my face. Had Stellan found some shelter somewhere? But no, we had reached his place. Light was shining from the open door of his cabin, and welcome heat could be felt from within.

Stellan knelt by me and began undoing the straps that had kept me on the sled. Then he gently put one arm under my back and helped me sit up. Unwinding the blankets that had helped keep me warm he looked at me concernedly.

"Okay, so we need to get you inside. Can you put your arms around my neck?"

Although stiff all over, I managed to get my right arm around his neck as he bent towards me. But my left arm was simply not going to happen. The moment I tried to reach it over my head, a sharp pain shot down my side, and I winced visibly.

Stellan noticed and quickly reassured me. "It's okay. Here, let me..." And so saying he scooped me up effortlessly and carried me through the propped-open door. Laying me down carefully on a long couch, he assured me he'd be back in a moment.

I watched as he moved quickly around the cabin, tending to the essentials. First he went to the fireplace and stirred up the fire so that in no time at all it was fully ablaze, the heat engulfing me most wonderfully. Then he went outside to the sled and brought everything in, stashing the sled in an out of the way corner. Lastly, he closed the door firmly against the blizzard that was raging outside and came back over to me, sitting on the coffee table by the couch so as not to jostle me.

"Now we have to see to you getting out of those wet clothes, and figure out where you're hurt." Before I could respond, he snapped his fingers and was off again, going up a set of stairs and returning shortly with a change of clothes, some washcloths and towels, a basin, and various first aid supplies.

I looked at the pile of supplies and suddenly felt my face going an interesting shade of red. There was no way I was going to be able to change on my own. I could barely move, I was in such pain!

Once again Stellan came to my rescue, his response showing how well he perceived the situation and my embarrassment. Cupping my cheek in one large hand, he looked at me understandingly.

"Nancy, I've had ten children, one of them actually a girl...and two wives as well." (At this point, I noticed his use of the past tense as far as his wives were concerned, but didn't think much of it, what with the state I was in.) I've seen everything there is to see. You don't have to be embarrassed, I promise you, but we do have to get you looked after."

I felt my tension ease at his practical words. Of course Stellan would only be doing this to get me taken care of, and, being the thoughtful person he was, he would keep the experience from being any more awkward than it had to be.

Of course, it didn't help that I had a massive crush on him, but I tried not to think about that as he began removing articles of clothing. At least he started with my shoes and socks first, so that wasn't too bad. But my feet were not in good shape. I'd had hiking boots on, but they were wet through, and although I didn't have frost bite, my toes were probably not too far from it. 

Stellan took his time vigorously rubbing each foot in turn, gradually getting the blood circulating again. At first, little needles of pain shot through my toes as the blood rushed to their tips, but after a bit, I began to enjoy the sensation, as his strong fingers kept kneading at my soles. I tried to hide my disappointment when he stopped, but he must have picked up on it anyway because he chuckled at my expression.

Next he removed my sweatshirt, which was absolute agony with my hurt ribs. But sensing how much pain I was in, he was very gentle and the task was done in no time at all. Stellan looked a question at me, and at my nod, he carefully removed my shirt, at which I heard him gasp.

My back was covered in bruises from my assailants' kicks and punches, but my left side and ribs were definitely the worst. Stellan took a large soft towel and covered me, then asked, "What happened to you? Did you fall while hiking?"

Tears welled up uncontrollably, not just from the pain, but at the remembered assault. I hadn't told anyone what had happened, partly because I was so embarrassed that I had let myself become so unaware of my surroundings to the point where I got jumped. I mean, how typical of a tourist to be mugged their first night in a new country?

But finally I found myself able to open up and tell Stellan what had happened. Maybe having bared practically all else to him made it easier, I don't know.

He listened as I told my story, his face showing equal parts anger at what I had gone through, and compassion for my experience. When I finished my story, he sighed. "I wish you had told me right away. I would have seen you to the nearest hospital!" His scolding was not too harsh, and I actually felt surprised at how good it felt to have someone care as much as he did.

Thinking a moment to himself, he seemed to make a decision. "I need to try and figure out how bad your side is hurt, okay? I'll be as gentle as I can, but it's probably going to hurt at least some."

When I agreed, he began gently prodding my ribs. I tried not to wince, but it really did hurt. After a few moments, he nodded in relief. "Your ribs seem to be only bruised, although that's bad enough. But not, I think, broken, and that is a very good thing. Still, to be safe, I'm going to need to bind your side up to help protect them. It will keep you from breathing too deeply while they heal."

He sat me up gently and then positioned himself behind me which afforded me some privacy. Then filling the basin with hot water from the kettle, he began gently washing my back to clean the myriad cuts and bruises covering my back. It stung, but the hot water helped to ease the pain, and his hands seemed to work miracles wherever they touched me. 

Then he took some long bandages and gently wrapped them around my torso, not too tight, but firmly, so that immediately my breathing was easier. I sighed in relief as he gently pulled a large tee shirt over my head and eased it over my arms.

Taking a moment to survey the result, he nodded. "The shirt is one of mine, and way too big of course. But in this case that just makes it easier to put on you without hurting you much."

Finally, he eased off my wet jeans which were soaked through. Once again, his hands rubbed at my calves and thighs, trying to bring warmth to them. And then another moment of awkwardness ensued. My underwear was of course soaked through from the snow, and I was also now very aware of needing to use the facilities.

I need not have worried; Stellan had thought of everything. Whisking me up in his arms once again, he carried me to the bathroom, got me seated, left a pair of clean underwear and sweatpants within reach, and shut the door, instructing me to call when I was done. I gratefully tended to things, then called out shyly for him. Once again he swept me up in his arms, carrying me back to the couch and burrowing me in a pile of warm blankets. Just as I drifted off, I heard him say something about making a big pot of soup.


End file.
